Blumb Bob (NOT!) Electrical or welding part or swag. Age or other details?

[IndianRiverSonrise]

I suspec this is a plumb bob of some sort, but I don't know. The outside is made of some type of ceramic. The point is metal. You can see the size with the nickle. It has a piece of a shell stuck in the open end.

Any help on object or age is much appreciated.

 

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[SandFiddler]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

Looks more like some sort of electrical insulator.

 

[wesfrye53]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

I'm not sure what it is but don't believe it's a plumb bob as there would be a screwed end where a line could be inserted directly in the middle of the top of the "bob".

 

[Monty]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

My first impression is also insulator. Monty

 

[dingode]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

part of and electric arc lamp?

 

[IndianRiverSonrise]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

part of and electric arc lamp?

Hmmm. You guys are taking me in a totally different direction than I imagined. I'm having a tough time getting the picture of how this would work as an electrical part.

 

[Ralphw]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

to me it kinda looks like part of an old spinning wheel




EDIT:

I missed the ceramic part,,, not a spinning wheel part

 

[dingode]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

Where was it found? Can we get a pic of each end?

 

[IndianRiverSonrise]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

Here are some additional photos of the two ends. It was found on a beach. I don't remember which one. The open end is hollow down to about the widest place on the ceramic (about half way down).

Thanks for all of your ideas.

 

[wesfrye53]

Re: Blumb Bob or what? Age or any help on this whatzit. Thanks

You can take it off the "Plumb Bob" list!

 

[Marty-Graw]

possibly a weight for a cukoo clock of some kind?

 

[dozer dan]

i dont remember what they re called, but I'm leaning towards a tool that hangs on a rope to measure water depth so boats didn't get hung up on a bar or reef.

 

[Blacksheep]

Leaning towards spot welder tip or some type of industrial igniter,
(from older applications)

http://www.derex.com/igniters.html

 

[eldonsmith]

I don't see the need to form a ceramic material around a centre metal part for any other reason than to form an insulated electrode. Water depth (sounding) devices, (called leads (pron leds not leeds) in the British Navy), plumb bobs, spinning weights etc are cheap enough to make out of one material. I'm at a disadvantage as a Brit, albeit with a lengthy electrical/telecomms/electronics/IT background, because I dunno where you'd see this kind of electrode in the US. Perhaps to protect a large insulator??

 

[lostcauses]

from the end it looks to be part of a spark gap.

 

[Blacksheep]

The relatively small size and design ( collar ) indicate the need for periodic replacement, the copper/ceramic indicate high heat and its hard not to see the center as an electrode of some type.

I wish i could say the portable spot welders ive used (as a tech, i rarely used them, the body shop guys had much more experience ) used this type of tip, the one i used had solid, screw-in tips. This still **could** be an early example, even off of a assembly line robotic spot welder.

I see it as a replaceable throw-away part used in welding, i could be way off though.

 

[Ralphw]

I don't think its a welding tool . i do weld and have never seen anything like that... plus there is no sign of burning or spatter.

but I can see that tip as some sort electrical part or contact , part of a lightning rod or electrode?


ceramic electrode

lightning rod

 

[Blacksheep]

Ralphw,

That makes much better sense than the welding tip.

 

[Peerless67]

Could it be a ceramic insert from an old spark plug?

 

[IndianRiverSonrise]

The shape of the ceramic is very similar to that shown in your first picture. Would seem to be more than coincidence.

I don't think its a welding tool . i do weld and have never seen anything like that... plus there is no sign of burning or spatter.

but I can see that tip as some sort electrical part or contact , part of a lightning rod or electrode?


ceramic electrode

lightning rod